L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread

Aldi sells everything you need for a classic Italian-inspired dinner, from pasta to sauce to garlic bread. You have several choices when it comes to the garlic bread. Aldi has boxes of Texas toast garlic bread in the Regular Buy freezer section, and sometimes the grocer sells specialty boxes of frozen cheese bread sticks or frozen garlic bread knots as limited-time Aldi Finds (Special Buys).

But not all of Aldi’s garlic bread is found in the freezer section. Aldi’s baked goods aisle — where you can find sourdough bread and brioche — also carries Regular Buy garlic bread options, including L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread.

The L’Oven Fresh garlic bread cost $1.99 for a 10-oz. package at the time of publication. It comes in plain garlic or cheese-topped varieties. The packages state the bread is made in the USA. As mentioned above, it’s a Regular Buy, so it’s on shelves year round.

I used to exclusively buy garlic Texas toast, and especially the kind topped with cheese, but I like these loaves because it’s easier to control portion sizes when I can slice the loaf myself. The taste is practically the same between these loaves and the garlic Texas toast.

The package states this garlic bread can be frozen until you’re ready to eat it, and I often freeze it. It makes for the ultimate easy, last-minute, busy-night Italian meal when combined with jarred pasta sauce, a package of noodles, and perhaps some frozen meatballs, or I serve it alongside some frozen Aldi lasagna or lasagna rolls.

Because these loaves are packaged in simple bags, I also appreciate that they take up less space in my freezer compared to boxes of Texas toast, and because they’re long and skinny they are ideal for fitting into tight spaces if the freezer is very full.

Because these are processed, shelf-stable products, their ingredients lists are lengthy.

If you’re looking out for allergens, these garlic loaves contain wheat, milk, and soy.

As mentioned above, the bread can be frozen until you’re ready to eat it, and it can be prepared in a conventional oven or on the grill.

If you opt to freeze it, the bread can go straight from the freezer to the oven. When baking from frozen, if necessary, thaw the bread for a few minutes, just enough to easily separate the top and bottom pieces. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and remove the bread from the bag and place spread side up on a baking pan. Place the baking pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

To bake a thawed loaf of bread, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the bread from the bag an lay spread side up on a baking pan. Place the baking pan on the middle rack in the center of the oven. Bake 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

To grill, remove the bread from the bag and wrap in aluminum foil. Place the bread on a grill rack and grill 10-12 minutes or until heated through. Turn frequently to prevent burning. The bag does not state whether these grilling instructions are for thawed or frozen bread, and I have never grilled a loaf, so I’m not sure, so check your bread frequently to avoid burning it.

L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread (Garlic Flavor)

L’Oven Fresh Parmesan Romano Garlic Bread nutrition information and ingredients. Click to enlarge.)

This bread features sweet cream buttermilk, garlic, and parsley. It’s a good garlic loaf. It does not have the cheese topping that the other loaf has, so it does not feel as indulgent, but nutritionally the two loaves are still pretty similar, with the same amount of calories.

There are five 210-calorie servings per loaf, with one serving giving you 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), 230 mg of sodium (10% DV), 26 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, 0 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

My family of four can usually make two meals out of one loaf, and we don’t feel like we’re skimping on portions, so the serving size (five servings per loaf) listed on the package seems pretty generous.

L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread (Parmesan Romano Flavor)

L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

This garlic bread is topped with shredded Parmesan cheese, and it’s a favorite in my household because of that indulgent cheese topping. I typically end up buying this variety rather than the plain garlic loaf.

There are five 210-calorie servings per loaf, with one serving giving you 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 1.5 grams of saturated fat (8% DV), 200 mg of sodium (9% DV), 27 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV), and 5 grams of protein.

Again, my family easily gets more than five servings out of one loaf, so you may want to adjust your calorie count accordingly.

The Verdict:

L’Oven Fresh Authentic Hearth Baked Garlic Bread is sold in the baked goods aisle at Aldi, and it comes in garlic or Parmesan Romano varieties. It freezes well if you don’t intend to eat it right away, and because you slice it yourself, it’s easy to control portion sizes. Plus, both flavor varieties taste great. Recommended.